Marketers often use the terms "fans" and "Advocates" inter-changeably.

Fans and Advocates are more loyal and engaged than other customers. But there are three important differences between the two groups.

1. Advocates go out of their way to recommend your brand and products.

For example, you may be a fan of a particular beer brand. You really like the beer and drink it often. You may have liked the beer brand on Facebook or follow it on Twitter.

Advocates, on the other hand, go way beyond buying your products or liking you on social.

Advocates pro-actively encourage their friends and others to try and buy the products they love. In the case of the beer brand, Advocates will buy the beer for their friends and tell them: "Dude, you gotta try this!"

In short, Advocates are like salespeople and marketers for your brands and products. Fans, not so much.

2. Advocates are your most loyal customers.

Fans love you when you're winning. But when you hit a losing streak, fans will often desert you. (Look at all those empty seats at San Francisco 49ers' home games.)

Advocates, by comparison, will support and defend you, protecting your cherished reputation even when you're down.

I saw this at Apple, where I worked for several years as a marketing communications consultant. When Apple was sputtering many years ago, its Advocates stood by its side.

Remember that old Tammy Wynette song? Well, you could change the name of the tune for Advocates to "Stand by your brand."

3. Advocates don't just cheer, they get into the game with you.

Advocates are your most engaged customers.

They get in the game with you by giving you ideas and feedback; suggesting new products and services; and joining online communities of fellow Advocates.

And they're the first to participate in online and offline events.

Rubio's, a San Diego-based casual restaurant famous for its Baja fish tacos, holds an annual beach clean-up called "Coast Fest." Rubio's Advocates are the first to show up at the beachfront for Coast Fest with plastic bags and twist ties in hand.

One last big difference: Advocates create and share content like positive reviews, stories, videos, and more at a 2X to 10X higher rate than fans, our real-world results show.

Identify Your Advocates

Get started by identifying your Advocates by name and contact info. Then put these super-charged recommenders to work for you!